Immigration enforcement operations in Austin, Texas, led to a critical shooting incident when an ICE agent shot a 28-year-old Venezuelan delivery worker in the thorax during a foot chase.
Shooting Incident During DoorDash Delivery in Austin
According to statements shared on social media by attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, Wilber Garcés Pérez was working as a DoorDash delivery driver when he was shot in the thorax by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel in Austin, Texas. Reporting from the Dallas Morning News indicates that Garcés Pérez had lived and worked in the Texas capital for two years and was unknown to police services.
Municipal authorities transported the wounded man to an Austin hospital, where he was initially listed in grave but stable condition. However, U.S. Representative Greg Casar later stated that federal immigration agents removed Garcés Pérez from medical care and placed him directly into detention. Representative Casar warned that transferring or deporting the Venezuelan national would remove a primary witness to the shooting from the jurisdiction.
Municipal Backlash and Escalating ICE Operations
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson expressed intense anger and disappointment over the shooting on public streets. During a subsequent press briefing, Mayor Watson pointed to a sudden and significant surge in ICE operations throughout the city, noting that the enforcement actions escalated almost overnight under the mass arrest and deportation mandate of President Donald Trump’s administration. Federal immigration authorities have not issued a formal statement regarding the shooting.
Mayor Watson publicly insisted that local law enforcement agencies must take an active role in investigating the incident. He asserted that it remains entirely inappropriate for ICE to conduct any internal investigation independently without the inclusion of local police departments.
Broader Controversy Surrounding ICE Enforcement Methods
The shooting in Austin highlights intensifying national friction over the deployment tactics utilized by federal immigration agents. Operatives from the agency are frequently heavily armed and masked during operations, drawing fierce opposition nationwide due to aggressive enforcement strategies.
Public scrutiny over these methods intensified following fatal encounters, including an incident in Minneapolis where agents shot and killed two U.S. citizens in January. Additionally, an ICE agent fatally shot a Mexican citizen in Houston, Texas, during the month of July. In response to the latest shooting in Austin, approximately one hundred demonstrators gathered at the scene to protest the use of lethal force by federal immigration officers.
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